Creative Solution to help solve Cumbria 's skills crisis

New Training Company, Training Horizons, was officially launched this month, marking a new, more creative, approach to training across Cumbria and the North West .

The company offers a single-source for all training requirements but, unlike many larger training providers, they guarantee trainers who have worked within the field covered by the training. This ensures all training packages are delivered by people who have 'done the job' and can answer questions put to them.

Training Horizons is an amalgamation of four local companies, all offering training in specialised fields:

Safety Management (UK) specialise in fire safety training, fire risk assessments and health and safety training.

CBH Training offer experts in IT training including Microsoft packages, Sage and ACT! They also train project management and are accredited by both Prince2 and APM.

NJH Solutions are specialists in behavioural training; delivering team, sales and conflict resolution training using DISC profiling techniques.

And Showing Off provides training in marketing and exhibition skills, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses.

The companies formed Training Horizons as they identified a need for a large, local training organisation providing expert trainers who are highly qualified and experienced. They also appreciate that businesses can ill-afford key members of staff travelling away for training and being absent from the office for prolonged periods of time. To address this issue, Training Horizons brings the training to you and can train on-site, at a time that suits your organisation and employees.

Director, Joanne Allday comments "There is a lack of provision of high quality training in critical business topics across Cumbria and, as a result, many local businesses are forced to send staff out of the county to be trained."

"The business reasons for training are well-documented, with pay-back often achieved in less than three months, but the cost of sending key members of staff on residential training courses can be prohibitive. Smaller businesses in particular often decide to manage without training instead."